


Still a good time

by Bl4ckHunter



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: Date Night, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:13:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27356305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bl4ckHunter/pseuds/Bl4ckHunter
Summary: One-shot story. Still recovering from the Smile Time situation, Angel and Nina go out for a dinner but as usual, simple things turn very complicated quite quickly.
Relationships: Angel/Nina Ash
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	Still a good time

**Author's Note:**

> Something based on one-shot Angel comics called "Masks". This takes place after 5x14 "Smile Time" and Angel is still a puppet in this.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Buffyverse.

Nina Ash was walking down an alley as she held a small walking puppet in black leather jacket and jeans and a blue shirt by its hand.

"I'm really glad we were able to do this. I mean, breakfast was great, but, you know, it's great to be able to leave your offices, too." Nina said.

"I know what you mean. Kinda hard for a vampire and a werewolf to find a time they can go outside together." Angel said, while in his puppet form.

"Only around the full moon. There are still 27 nights I _don't_ have to sleep in a cage. No law says I have to sleep alone on those nights, either." Nina smiled.

As Nina and Angel went around the corner, they faced a tall muscular man that immediately gave a thug-like vibe as he smiled at her and gave her a look that unnerved her, like if he was trying to rip her clothes off with his eyes.

"You look a little old to be playing with toys." The man said as he held Nina by her chin, lifting her head up. "Sure you can't handle a real man, sweetheart?"

Next thing they both knew, the man grunted in pain as he felt pain in his crotch and bent down as he stared in shock to see the puppet glaring at him and grabbing him by his shirt.

"What, you got something against little people, buddy?" Angel said as the man stared in shock at the talking puppet and the next thing he knew, the puppet pounced on his face, pummeling him as the man fell down, groaning and dazed.

* * *

Angel held Nina by her hand as they walked down the street to the diner.

"Stupid tall people." Angel muttered, feeling offended.

"Angel, he wasn't an inch over 5' 8"." Nina said, amused.

"Still, some of them have _no consideration_ for others." Angel said, wanting to revert back to his normal state as soon as possible as they approached a booth. "Just because a guy is a little – unh – vertically challenged…" He grunted, trying to climb up on the seat of the booth. "Help me out here?"

Nina smiled in amusement as she picked Angel and helped him sit down. "There you go."

"Thanks. And also, I guess, fleshically-challenged, doesn't mean he's not a real man." Angel said and Nina giggled again as Angel grumbled in annoyance, while trying to open the menu with his felt hands. "Stupid menu. Anyway, I know you were in the mood for Chinese, Nina, but I like this place. Staff doesn't ask a lot of questions. And these puppet hands aren't exactly chopstick friendly."

"This is fine, Angel. I'm just glad we could go out and I promise, no going all wolf-girl and tearing out your stuffing again. Full moon cycle's over for this month." Nina assured.

A moment later, a waitress with horns and a lizard tail approached as Nina stared a little in surprise but quickly got herself together.

"What'll it be, folks?" The waitress asked.

"Hamburger, please. Rare with a green salad and iced tea." Nina said.

"Same for me but with fries. And a chocolate shake." Angel said.

"Right away." The waitress said as she left.

"Salad sounds good. Not as good as blood, which they don't serve here but it's gotta be finger food for another couple of days." Angel explained.

"Makes sense. Excuse me a minute, Angel. Nature calls." Nina said as she got up and noticed Angel looking at her oddly. "No, not like that. Just need to go to the ladies' room."

"I'll be here." Angel assured as Nina left and he grumbled in annoyance again. "Not that I could go far, anyway."

"Milkshake for you, iced tea for the lady?" The waitress asked as she approached with a tray with drinks.

"That's right, thanks." Angel said as the waitress put the drinks on the table and he tried to unwrap the straw from the paper. "Stupid straw…"

Angel then heard roaring as a werewolf rushed out from the bathroom and he stared in surprise. "Nina?" She ran down the diner as Angel jumped at Nina's back, trying to stop her. "Nina, calm down, we can—"

Next thing he knew, Nina jumped through the window and fell down on the pavement as Angel jumped off her.

"Settle down, Nina. Let's not make things worse than they have to be." Angel said.

"Haven't you figured it out yet, vampire?" 'Nina' said as she shapeshifted then it hit Angel.

"Who—" Angel looked in shock to see the shapeshifter turn into Angel, in his normal form, that was.

"That better?" The shapeshifter asked mockingly.

"You're not me!" Angel yelled, lunging at the shapeshifter but it was useless to fight when he was in his puppet form.

"I might as well be you, only better." The shapeshifter said, grabbing Angel and throwing him into a dark alley.

* * *

"Angel?" Nina asked, going out from the bathroom and looking at the mess before she went out from the diner. "Angel?"

"You OK, Nina?" 'Angel' said as she relaxed, relieved to see him in his normal form and hugged him.

"Just worried, that's all. I heard the racket and by the time I got out, you were gone." Nina said.

"I'm here now." 'Angel' assured.

"And… you're you! You're back." Nina said, looking at 'Angel's normal form.

"And better than ever." 'Angel' said as he turned to the smashed window of the diner. "I don't think they're doing any more cooking tonight, let's just go back to the office, get some dinner there."

"OK. What was all the commotion, anyway?" Nina asked.

"Barlish demon. Destructive, but not really dangerous. I guess the stress of the fight cause me to change back sooner than I calculated." 'Angel' said.

"Fred, you mean." Nina said.

"What?" 'Angel' asked, confused.

"Sooner than Fred calculated." Nina corrected, narrowing her eyes at 'Angel.'

"Whatever." 'Angel' shrugged.

"Who are you?" Nina asked.

"What do you mean? I'm Angel." 'Angel' said.

"Angel wouldn't have left the diner without paying for our drinks at least. He would've left a tip. And he'd know who Fred is." Nina said, backing off from the impostor.

"I know as much as I need to!" The impostor said, grabbing Nina by her arm. "What I do know is that I'm getting into Wolfram & Hart offices tonight and you're taking me there!" Nina tried to struggle out from his grip but the man was too strong for her to fight back as he started dragging her away. "Play along and act like I'm Angel, or you and the employees are gonna die."

* * *

The real Angel had been trapped under a wheel of a dumpster in a meantime as he tried to push it off.

"Stupid wheel." Angel grunted in effort, trying to push it off until the dumpster flipped over, freeing him. Angel then noticed that his nose was missing and groaned upon smelling something disgusting and then he noticed that his nose was in a pile of garbage.

"Oh, come on." Angel groaned and looked around before he found his nose and put it back on his face and looked disgusted. "Isn't that just my luck. Can't wait until I'm back to my old self again. Whoever that was, if he hurts Nina, he's dead. They can't have gotten far, I need to find them."

* * *

Angel rushed out of the alley, looking for Nina and noticed that she was gone from the diner as he kept looking for her and picked a small sharp piece of debris, using it as a weapon.

"Nina! Where are you? Nina!" Angel yelled.

Hearing the real Angel, Nina bit the shapeshifter in the arm as he grunted, letting her go but quickly grabbed her again. "Ah, you little—"

"That's enough, G'rek'll!" Angel said.

"Angel? What's going on?" Nina asked, a little terrified.

"G'rek'll's a shapeshifting demon who used to be Wolfram & Hart's client but he's also a mass murderer, so I cut him loose, when I reviewed his client list. Since then, his businesses have been going downhill and he's in some legal trouble now." Angel said. "I'm guessing he wanted to get back into Wolfram & Hart disguise as me, so he could get the firm to solve his problems. Bad news, G'rek'll. It ain't happening."

G'rek'll turned himself into his normal form, which was a green humanoid creature with thorns at the sides of his head and tattoos covering his face and claws protruded from his fingers. "I still have your precious Nina, Angel. Let me go or I slice her pretty throat."

"You can try!" Nina sneered as she punched G'rek'll in the face as he grunted in pain, causing for him to let her go.

"Why, you…" G'rek'll, blinded and dazed from the punch swung his claws but Nina dodged before he could scratch her and then Angel lunged at G'rek'll, stabbing him in the chest with the piece of metal in his hand as G'rek'll fell back, dead, green blood pouring from his wound.

"And they said I was no good at the client-relations thing." Angel quipped and then turned to Nina. "Guess dinner out was a bust, though. Sorry."

"Why don't we get something back at the office?" Nina asked as she held Angel by his hand as they walked down the pavement. "And Angel?"

"Yeah?" Angel asked.

"You sure know how to show a monster girl a good time." Nina said and she giggled, while Angel chuckled in amusement.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone else loves Puppet Angel pouncing on Spike after Spike telling Angel he's a bloody puppet? Guess bad guys should learn never to laugh at him, since looks can be deceiving. * snickers * Fun fact, James Marsters admitted at one Comic-Con that they actually had to shoot Puppet Angel beating Spike like ten times or so because Marsters was laughing too much at the fact that he was fighting a puppet and I can't say I blame the guy.
> 
> I think that Angel/Nina had a potential and if not for Angel's obsession with Buffy, whenever someone as much as mentioned her or Angel's fight with Wolfram & Hart and the Senior Partners that forced him to push her away, it could've been an OK romance.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed this one-shot.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Bl4ckHunter


End file.
